Tag Archives: Moses

Unfortunately this question brings to mind a negative image of government and politics. If the question is, “Should Christians corrupt themselves with the seedy side of politics?” or “Should Christians revert to the unethical, unscriptural practices of modern-day ‘politicians’?” the answer is, of course, no. But if the question is about political involvement and participation in general, there is another answer.

ChristianAnswers.net puts it this way, “…Christians should seek political participation and representation as they go about their duties of evangelizing the world. Without this participation and representation, there is no assurance that the freedom to evangelize will remain secure. Can we maintain the fundamental freedoms and liberties we enjoy while standing apart from the political process? The political and social trends of the last generation should offer clear warnings that freedom and liberty require diligent care and attention—especially by the Christian community.”

Recently, I was talking to someone who stated that politics was corrupt and that Christians just needed to stay out of it all together. Pretty bold, but I thought about it for a moment. Yes, politics is corrupt, worldly, and wicked, but that doesn’t give us a reason to stay out of it all together. You see, when we choose to do such things, what we are doing is endorsing it with our silence. In other words we offer no opposition or resistance and agree with the majority, whatever it may be… good or bad. When good people are silent, sadly evil thrives. This is just not where we should be and I believe we should have a vote and a voice.

So what about Christians holding an office in government? Should we do such things? For our answer let’s look to the Scriptures. Proverbs 29:2 says, “when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bears rule, the people mourn.” This verse seems to say that righteous people should be in office, and that when they are, it’s a good thing. So according to just this verse alone, God wants godly men in authority. Or how about Exodus 18:21, God tells Moses to “…look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.…”, Basically, put these men in authority over others. I believe that’s what God wants us to do today in America. In the Bible, there were many godly people in government Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Daniel, Mordecai, Esther, and of course some godly leaders of Israel.

So my answer is this, if no Christians run for office, then who would be in office? And if Christians do not support them with their votes/voices, then who will be in office? If Christians are silent, then what kind of people will be leaders of this nation? If not the Christians, the only other group is those with whom can be influenced by the powers of this world. So my advice is this, Christians that want to run for office should and the rest of us need to use our voice, our votes, our prayers, and stand firm in the Word of God.

One last thing we need to remember is to be submissive to authority and respect the authority God has put in place. 1 Peter 2:13-14 says, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.” In other words obey the laws and the only time we should not is when it goes against Gods Word. For example, Daniel did not stop praying even though the law forbid him to. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow before the idol even though it was the law. Now in the same aspect this doesn’t mean that we don’t have a voice. Think about this, for example, Esther petitioned the King to save her people the Jews, Moses petitioned the King to save his people the Israelites, they used their voice for good to save nations of people. They didn’t go against the government of the time, they stood for the rights of the people.

In our American culture, we the people, are the ones who make decisions, so we, by law, have a right to use our voice. Think about this for a moment, in our American governing system, ‘submission’ demands our participation. Whether we like it or not, American citizens are participants in the American governing structure. No one is exempt from this participation. Citizens are assessed taxes; we are counted in the census; we are in government computer systems at all levels; we send our children to government-run schools; we are, in one way or another, participants in the government, so we need to keep that in perspective.

And I want to close with this, 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” This verse applies to us. If we will… 1.) Humble ourselves, 2.) Pray, 3.) Seek Gods Face, 4.) Turn from our wicked ways (Yes this is talking about believers). THEN He will hear us from heaven and heal our land!

I am Christian and have been married since May 2002. My husband and I have four beautiful children. Two ‘homegrown’ (biological) and two adopted from the country of Bulgaria. I am a stay at home, homeschool parent, and am now entering into my sixth year of home schooling.

I have been a Christian since Aug. 2002 and attended Calvary Chapel a good part of my life. I was the Womens Bible Study director at CCSurprise and have written many Bible Studies for the women at the church. I have also served in various ways within the women’s ministry itself including writing, acting in skits, coordinating events, and more. I was the children’s worship coordinator for 5 years and served in many other ways.

Currently I am enrolled in the International School of Ministry,and plan on completing my degree this year. My passion is to serve God with all my heart, help those who need it and to spread the Gospel message to its full extent.

She tells me he said the prayer of Salvation, but she’s going on vacation, and would I like to contact him?

What if I don’t have the right words?

What if my transparency pushes him away?

What if he sees the perfectionist tendencies in me and runs?

What if he challenges me and I can’t give him what he wants to hear?

What if I tell him what he needs to hear, but that in itself pushes him away?

In the car, my husband grills me, pretending he’s an unbeliever. It’s harder to talk of faith that way. I laugh and make jokes, but in all seriousness I’m better when the Holy Spirit puts me in the situation where it feels natural. Then, the words come and the worry fades. I remember the sermon about not watering down the truth, but tell the truth in love.

That’s not something we hear often from some of our churches anymore. We’ve become sales people—hiding the difficulties of living the Christian life, burying sin, and diluting repentance. Are we trying to shine Jesus instead of letting Jesus shine? He needs to know who Jesus really is by getting a Bible and having someone walk alongside him, holding his hand, until he learns to let go and hold on to Jesus. But it’s times like these I chastise myself and say, “Just call me Moses.”

God handed him the tablets. What was he saying again? Moses missed the whole conversation. He carried the tablets down, beaming with joy that he spent so much time with God. His Android beeped and he stopped halfway down the mountain.

Aaron’s status read: “Just built a golden calf. Finally, something to worship that we can see and that’s here right now.”

Moses ran down the mountain and when he saw the golden calf, he threw the stones down. Then, he text God.

God didn’t answer.

“God, are you there?” Moses tried again.

Moses’ Android beeped.

God had updated his Facebook status: “Israel just built a golden calf to worship. I think they need to learn how to wait.”

Moses text God: “Lord, please forgive us.”

God text back. “I’m sorry, I was busy texting. I missed your message. What did you say?”

Israel spent the next several years waiting for the Promised Land. God suspended Aaron and Moses from their Facebook accounts and took away their Androids. They needed to learn to listen.

What are you feeding your soul? Are you paying attention?

Today I am in Denver, Colorado joining other writers at the Writing For The Soul Conference. Please pray for safe travel, good weather, and that each one of us in attendance is somehow used and directed by God. From February 16 – 20, I will be reposting some old posts. All comments will be replied to on Monday, February 20.

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“Of all his accomplishments, it may be that his greatest gift to black people and to the world was the gift of hope. He proved that a black man—or any man—could start with nothing and achieve great things.” – George Washington Carver; John Perry; Thomas-Nelson.

The first time George Washington Carver caught my attention was when I read Andy Andrew’s coffee table book, “The Butterfly Effect.” That kindled my curiosity. That, and a new appreciation for Martin Luther King Jr. John Perry writes the total history of George Washington Carver in one of his series of books called, Christian Encounters.

George Washington Carver was a kind soul, well-liked by both black and white people, and a survivor. His roots are famous. He was the son of a slave woman, owned by Moses Carver. Moses was against owning a slave, but saw slavery as an “economic necessity.” George Washington Carver was half-white. One night in a raid by robbers, George and his mom were kidnapped. His mom was never seen again, but Moses Carver went after them and managed to save George from death by trading George’s life for a racing horse. George’s mother was never returned or found.

Throughout George’s remarkable life as the adopted son of the Carvers, he managed to defy odds. George was a frail boy, later man who loved agriculture, experiments, and had an unusual personality and mind. Moses Carver and his wife, “didn’t go to church, but George was so interested in Christianity that he walked the mile by himself every Sunday morning.” George was an avid learner and his hunger for knowledge couldn’t be satiated. Due to his color, George could not attend a regular school. Susan Carver taught him at home and the rest he learned in Sunday School at church. Later, he would attend a public school. His love for God grew enormously through varying trials and difficulties.

What amazed me was his eccentricities. Even as he excelled through schools and later universities, he relied heavily upon affirmations. He disliked gifts, especially financial gifts, but when someone gave him a medal he cherished that, and if he didn’t get enough attention, he complained a lot. Yet in spite of his complaints and polarized emotions, he was known as a kind soul. Even when people segregated him he chose not to sue. George Washington Carver took the job in the poorest college after being a top-notch University professor in a mostly white college because he wanted to help his people excel.

Carver was also frugal (to say the least). He believed that, “we have become 99 percent money mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for the proverbial rainy day which is sure to come, can almost be listed among the lost arts.”

He believed that, “As soon as you begin to read the great and loving God out of all forms of existence he has created, both animate and inanimate, then you will be able to converse with him, anywhere, everywhere, and at all times. Oh, what a fullness of joy will come to you. My dear friend, get the significance. God is speaking.”

George Washington Carver is both an inspiring and amazing human being who won the hearts of both races, getting past the prejudice using kindness, humility, and not violence or riots. There are lessons we could all learn in Carver’s life. He knew how to save money. His Bible studies were packed every week. The people who couldn’t get in stood outside the classroom to hear him give the study. Carver never used the Bible, but he had memorized it. This book was wonderfully insightful, though I didn’t sense any passion. The character of Carver came through while the writing itself didn’t excite me as much as I had been when I read James M. McPherson’s “Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief.”

All in all I would recommend this book to any teenager especially or adult eager to learn the personality and life of George Washington Carver and his friend, Booker T. Washington. Talk about your polar opposites! I rated this book four stars.

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How do you lead someone through a story without dropping bread crumbs to the obvious conclusion?

I was pondering this the other day when I crafted Thursdays’ post, The Path for Faith Barista. Every Thursday I post according to the topic, but sometimes we get so mired in seriousness that I have to approach the topic a different way. One Thursday, I posted a humorous story for the Thursday topic with a serious point in a post called Moses’ Android. We spend too much time on the cell phones and pay less attention to the people around us. We forget to be present. Being present is more powerful than any blog post we could ever write.

Today’s post is about being grateful. I wanted to tell a story to make a point, but then wondered how I could do it without someone drawing the obvious conclusion? I guess that’s why they call writing a craft. It’s not always easy.

Instead, I chose to write that post for another day and ask you: What are you most grateful for? I want you to think beyond the obvious and think of something hardly ever spoken of and less appreciated or overlooked. Please share it with us. Then, write a prayer about it with your comment. This is my way to be present with you and allow me to share in your life.

God handed him the tablets. What was he saying again? Moses missed the whole conversation. He carried the tablets down, beaming with joy that he spent so much time with God. His Android beeped and he stopped halfway down the mountain.

Aaron’s status read: “Just built a golden calf. Finally, something to worship that we can see and that’s here right now.”

Moses ran down the mountain and when he saw the golden calf, he threw the stones down. Then, he text God.

God didn’t answer.

“God, are you there?” Moses tried again.

Moses’ Android beeped.

God had updated his Facebook status: “Israel just built a golden calf to worship. I think they need to learn how to wait.”

Moses text God: “Lord, please forgive us.”

God text back. “I’m sorry, I was busy texting. I missed your message. What did you say?”

Israel spent the next several years waiting for the Promised Land. God suspended Aaron and Moses from their Facebook accounts and took away their Androids. They needed to learn to listen.

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“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” – Genesis 19:26

“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down and get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” – Luke 17:30-35

Coincidentally, I thought about Lot’s wife in conjunction with a friend’s struggle to let go of the past. Some of us tend to pick our feet up and move forward one slow step at time. Others are threatened by the truth. They put up their hands and say, “It’s too scary to move forward. I want sympathy, not truth. I don’t want to live. I want what I used to have.” The question I posted on Facebook was: When Lot’s wife looked back and was turned to a pillar of salt was it because of her disobedience to God or does the scripture go even deeper?

Pastor Bernie Lutchman responded with, “Basically she was told (along with Lot) to NOT look back…and that meant in all senses of the word – kinda like when grumbling Israel moaned about how “good” they had it under slavery in Egpyt and blamed Moses for everything. She had a pretty luxurious lifestyle in Sodom. Remember Lot chose the best land from under Abraham! In Luke 17:32 Jesus mentioned her in as much to say..when He says go – just drop everything don’t look in the rear view mirror – something may be gaining on you!! Great lesson as well about letting the dead past bury the dead past and constantly focused ahead without trying to recapture the past.”

It was the answer I was looking for, but I was disappointed that no one else participated. Perhaps my conscious probed the deeper motivations for writing transparently? Am I walking forwards or backwards? Conversationally talking about my past is like therapy. It helps me think it out, make sense of it all, and when you really see, you can see God in it all. There’s a healthy way of looking backwards. It’s when you use your past to help others who have not yet healed. If you are always standing in the puddle of the past, you’re bound to sink into it and become mired in the misery, angry because everyone else is living. I like laughing. I like the silliness of life. I like taking risks. If I fail, I praise God. If I succeed, I praise God. In my hikes, I’ve seen the clouds move over the sky and momentarily hide a patch of ground from the sun. The semi-darkness is never forever. The sun will peek through again and shine its warmth on the ground drying up the mud.

Lot’s wife had friends. She had wealth. Was it the fascination of seeing the wonder of God’s wrath pouring out over Soddom and Gomorrah, or was it a yearning to turn back and go home? In Genesis 19, I sense hesitancy on the part of Lot and his wife from the very beginning. Neither really wanted to leave. He begged God to let him go to a nearby town for safety rather than to flee without stopping through the plains. In Matthew 19:24 it says, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Letting go is a lot like attempting to pry the keys from a drunken man’s hand so he doesn’t bring others down with him. Could you refrain from looking back? What does that say about my belief in an omnipresent God? Are things more important? Am I waiting with open arms for His return? Or is one eye looking over my shoulder in regret of what I would leave behind?

In May, my husband and I traveled to Honduras with six other people for International Teams. It wasn’t an evangelism trip. Michelle Crotts runs a camp for disabled children. Teams usually bring supplies and money for supplies in order to improve the camp experience for the children, schools, and women who regularly use the camp.